Leave bombs, missiles to the military

Published: Friday, February 8, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 12:01 p.m.

The problem of guns in America is about as divisive as any topic ever seen for most of us. There is no doubt that we have to stop the slaughter of our citizens, and most of all the killing of our children.

Most of us agree it cannot be allowed to continue, but that is the end of the agreement and the start of the absolute disagreement on how to put an end to it.

Let us start by agreeing to ban weapons that everyone says should not be allowed to be possessed by a homeowner in our country: (A) atomic bomb; (B) surface-to-air missiles and launches for them; (C) enough explosives to detonate your home. Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?

In case someone writes a letter to the editor defending his right to possess these three items, I would like to suggest that the editor include the home addresses of the writers so the rest of us can check out our distance to his location.

There are sure to be some dads out there who would love to teach their sons the fine art of item B as an extension of skeet shooting, but the collateral damage to property on the ground really ruins the sport.

One of the big hang-ups seems to be the right to own guns that are rapid-fire, like the AK-47. I was the possessor of a Thompson rapid-fire .45-caliber gun for most of the last year of World War II, and I would not suggest anyone keep a weapon of this type in his home for self-defense.

Anyone who has seen the results of combat in urban areas like Manila in the Philippines would tell you that you don’t have much of a home left after the shooting stops. My house has pipes carrying water, sewer effluent and natural gas. The electric wires are also in the wall. Slugs from any gun can cut the lines and cause fires that are difficult to find and extinguish. Natural gas can cause explosions.

I believe it is the right of every American homeowner to possess the means to defend his life and property with a deadly weapon, but I also think you need to use some common sense on what kind of weapon is the best to utilize if you have a home invasion.

The firing of a gun inside your home doesn’t end with your shot. If you miss your target, or even if the bullet goes through your invader, it is still your responsibility, and if you take out any targets not on your property, you get the blame.

If you know how to use a firearm, I would suggest that you stick to either a revolver or an automatic pistol. There are some types of ammunition available that break up when hitting a target. Not only would you avoid the slugs going through the wall and starting fires, but there won’t be any going through your house and hitting something at your neighbor’s. If you are worried that these slugs won’t stop the invader, forget it. It is worse to get hit by these slugs since they break up and cause multiple damage all over inside the body of your target.

Disarming our citizens is not going to stop crazy people from doing irrational acts on a spur of the moment.

We have to have protection at places where the nut jobs find their victims. There are always going to be people who come up with ideas of harming people. We need better ways to find out who these people are and stop them before it occurs.

Don’t be surprised if all the attention on guns causes some attacks using explosives or poison gas. That could be far worse.

<p>The problem of guns in America is about as divisive as any topic ever seen for most of us. There is no doubt that we have to stop the slaughter of our citizens, and most of all the killing of our children.</p><p>Most of us agree it cannot be allowed to continue, but that is the end of the agreement and the start of the absolute disagreement on how to put an end to it.</p><p>Let us start by agreeing to ban weapons that everyone says should not be allowed to be possessed by a homeowner in our country: (A) atomic bomb; (B) surface-to-air missiles and launches for them; (C) enough explosives to detonate your home. Now that wasn't so hard, was it?</p><p>In case someone writes a letter to the editor defending his right to possess these three items, I would like to suggest that the editor include the home addresses of the writers so the rest of us can check out our distance to his location.</p><p>There are sure to be some dads out there who would love to teach their sons the fine art of item B as an extension of skeet shooting, but the collateral damage to property on the ground really ruins the sport.</p><p>One of the big hang-ups seems to be the right to own guns that are rapid-fire, like the AK-47. I was the possessor of a Thompson rapid-fire .45-caliber gun for most of the last year of World War II, and I would not suggest anyone keep a weapon of this type in his home for self-defense.</p><p>Anyone who has seen the results of combat in urban areas like Manila in the Philippines would tell you that you don't have much of a home left after the shooting stops. My house has pipes carrying water, sewer effluent and natural gas. The electric wires are also in the wall. Slugs from any gun can cut the lines and cause fires that are difficult to find and extinguish. Natural gas can cause explosions.</p><p>I believe it is the right of every American homeowner to possess the means to defend his life and property with a deadly weapon, but I also think you need to use some common sense on what kind of weapon is the best to utilize if you have a home invasion.</p><p>The firing of a gun inside your home doesn't end with your shot. If you miss your target, or even if the bullet goes through your invader, it is still your responsibility, and if you take out any targets not on your property, you get the blame.</p><p>If you know how to use a firearm, I would suggest that you stick to either a revolver or an automatic pistol. There are some types of ammunition available that break up when hitting a target. Not only would you avoid the slugs going through the wall and starting fires, but there won't be any going through your house and hitting something at your neighbor's. If you are worried that these slugs won't stop the invader, forget it. It is worse to get hit by these slugs since they break up and cause multiple damage all over inside the body of your target.</p><p>Disarming our citizens is not going to stop crazy people from doing irrational acts on a spur of the moment.</p><p>We have to have protection at places where the nut jobs find their victims. There are always going to be people who come up with ideas of harming people. We need better ways to find out who these people are and stop them before it occurs.</p><p>Don't be surprised if all the attention on guns causes some attacks using explosives or poison gas. That could be far worse.</p>